Thousands Shelter From Chicago Tornado Inside O'Hare: 'This Is My Hell'

A video of the cramped conditions inside Chicago O'Hare International Airport during a tornado alert has gone viral, prompting social media users to describe the packed scenes as a "new definition of hell."

The clip, uploaded on Wednesday evening and which, as of 4 a.m. ET, had 1.4 million views, shows people descending a set of escalators into a crowded underground hallway containing what appears to be thousands of travelers.

The original poster, local news reporter Hannah Follman, said passengers were asked to seek shelter due to "several" tornadoes.

It came as a severe storm system moved in over the Great Lakes region on Wednesday night, prompting a number of tornado warnings across the area by the National Weather Service (NWS). The service confirmed that one had touched down near the airport at around 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET).

It added that the tornado had been "touching the ground intermittently so far" and that there were "additional circulations along the line south of O'Hare." Local channel NBC 5 broadcast rooftop footage of the tornado forming near the busy hub.

"Severe weather is imminent at O'Hare International Airport," authorities announced at around 7:40 p.m. ET. "If you're in the airport, please exercise caution, and follow the instructions of all airport personnel."

Other images from inside the airport show some of the summer travelers sitting on the floor in the hallway, while others were left to stand.

"New definition of hell just dropped," wrote one Twitter user in response to the viral video. "This is my hell I think," another said.

"I'd rather spend 3 days on that mega cruise ship than 3 hours in this tunnel at O'Hare," a third user tweeted.

One person documented their experience at the airport, starting with their feet up in the United Club lounge, before being "turfed out" and told to take shelter in the tunnels between concourses. After the tornado passed, they returned to the lounge only to discover their flight had been canceled and rebooked.

The storm wreaked havoc with the airport's timetable. A total of 335 inbound and outbound flights were canceled on Wednesday and 943 were delayed, according to aviation tracker FlightAware—the most at any airport that day.

As of 4 a.m. ET on Thursday, there had been 24 cancellations, and delays are now fewer than 15 minutes on average, real-time Chicago Department of Aviation figures show.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Aviation, which oversees O'Hare and Midway airports, confirmed that an emergency weather plan was put in place on Wednesday, telling Newsweek it was "standard protocol" during tornado warnings.

They added that no injuries were reported nor any damage to airport structures, but that further inspections would occur "to ensure the airports are safe and secure."

"The CDA thanks our passengers and all of our federal, state, local, and airline partners for their support in responding to Wednesday's storms," the spokesperson said.

A similar situation at O'Hare greeted travelers in late March, when passengers were asked to shelter in the airport's tunnel system due to tornado-producing storms in the region.

According to local reports, the tornado over O'Hare airport on Wednesday was just one of several to touch down across the Chicago metro area, before the storm moved towards Michigan. The NWS gave the all-clear at 8 p.m. ET.

Meteorologists at the federal agency issued a tornado warning for the city of Chicago itself the same evening, and The Associated Press reported that tornado sirens warning residents to find cover sounded at least twice across the metropolis.

One video uploaded by a downtown resident, in which sirens echoing through the streets can be heard, was posted online shortly after the NWS issued its warning.

Update 07/17/23, 3:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a Chicago Department of Aviation spokesperson.